As teachers, we plan lessons and units that engage our students on a variety of cognitive levels. In order to use knowledge, students must be able to access key facts and perform basic skills. Deep understanding is indicated by applying basic understandings unprompted in more complex ways. One way to understand the different cognitive levels is to consider tasks in light of established hierarchies of understanding, such as Bloom's taxonomy. The ASCD Lexicon of Learning defines Bloom's Taxonomy as:



Bloom's has been recast many times for many reasons. These revisions provide teachers with a useful tool to plan instruction that addresses student thinking on different levels.

Resources Related to Bloom's Taxonomy


Other Versions of Bloom's Taxonomy

  • Another version of this taxonomy that includes assessment prompts for each cognitive level can be found at: http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm
  • Miguel Guhlin, a Texas technology coordinator and edtech blogger, argues that it is time to reconsider Bloom's taxonomy in light of new online tools. His take in this is on his blog
  • Mike Fisher created a Digigogy, or a Blooms-like representation of Web 2.0 online tools based on what types of thinking they support.

References